雅 (yā) — elegant, refined (morpheme in compounds such as 优雅, 文雅, 雅致)
Definition
雅 (yā) is a bound morpheme meaning 'elegant, refined' — it never stands alone in modern Chinese and only appears in compounds like 优雅, 文雅, 雅致.
bound form
elegantrefined (morpheme in compounds such as 优雅, 文雅, 雅致)
Examples
- 。Tā de jǔ zhǐ hěn wén yā.His manners are very refined.
- 。Zhè ge shè jì fēi cháng yōu yā.This design is very elegant.
- 。Tā de tán tǔ shí fēn yā zhì.Her conversation is very tasteful.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuīa short-tailed bird
雅 pairs 隹, a short-tailed bird, with 牙 as its sound part; the bird was a rook/crow, and the sense was extended to refined.
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